Duncan’s new normal

Had it been up to him, Tim Duncan admits he wouldn’t have forced himself into a sport coat for the Spurs’ victory over Minnesota on Tuesday.

“Obviously, I wanted to play,” Duncan said after the Spurs’ shootaround this morning. “Especially after Oklahoma City, I wanted to be out there on the floor.”

Duncan had 14 points and missed seven of 13 shots Monday night against the Thunder, as the Spurs gave away a pair of big leads and lost 78-76. A night later, coach Gregg Popovich opted to rest Duncan and the knees that have been ailing him for much of the season.

This could be the new normal for Duncan. Popovich has hinted at resting his 32-year-old All-Star power forward on the second night of back-to-backs for the rest of the season.

That would affect two games the rest of the regular season — Wednesday at Atlanta and April 13 at Golden State.

“Whenever we have a chance to give a player like Tim a couple of days, we should do it,” Popovich said. “Because we know the most important thing at the end is when people are healthy and energetic.”

Duncan missed three games at the end of February dealing with tendonosis in his right knee. In nine games since returning, he’s averaged 15.1 points and shot 43.1 percent from the field.

Duncan said he hoped the day off against Minnesota — and the team-wide day off from practice that followed it — would energize him. He is expected back in the lineup tonight against the defending NBA champion Celtics.

“Every day off is good right now,” Duncan said this morning. “The legs feel a little better than they did a couple days ago. Hopefully, that pushes me over the top a little bit, and I can play out the rest of the season.”